Vampirates: Fan-Fic-Sequel
by Grace Furey
Summary: It's been seven years since the war ended, since Connor allegedly died, since everything was in complete chaos, and now he's back again. Connor and Grace have been keeping the secret of his being alive from everyone for so long. Now Lady Lola Lockwood Sidorio is ready to find her son, and Grace and Connor are ready to be wed. But there are other problems none of them had foreseen.
1. 1 - A Bad Feeling

_**A.N:**_

_**When I started writing this, I honestly never thought it would go on Fan-Fiction, but I realized that I didn't want to keep it to myself. I hope I can live up to **_**Justin Somper_, and I'm sorry if I don't. Please R&R! :) :D_**

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**1 – A Bad Feeling**

Grace Tempest awoke with a start, clutching the locket that hung over her racing heart, the one she never took off. The locket had been given to her by her brother nearly seven years prior. It was all she had of his now.

Not wanting to wake her six-year fiancé in such late hours of the day – for it was almost noon already – she got out of bed and went to sit at the vanity on the other end of the cabin, by her own wardrobe. Her fiancé had asked her to marry him shortly after a dear friends own wedding, when _Ms. Flotsam_ and _Mr. Jetsam_ had been joined in holy matrimony. Of course Grace had said yes without a moment's hesitation; but no one could understand the hesitation to have the wedding. Grace had been putting it off for nearly seven years now. There were those who thought she may not want to marry the wonderful creature she knew she loved, but the real reason was that she was waiting for a special time.

She picked up the latest in a long line of gifts her fiancé had gotten her; a silver brush with golden flowers carved into the back of it. Though she loved the gifts, Grace secretly suspected that they were his way of asking what the real reason was for her putting off the wedding for so long. She knew he'd need an answer eventually, but she thought it would be fine for just a little while longer, after all, they would both live for eternity.

As she brushed her hair in the gold-trimmed mirror on her vanity, she thought back seven years to the first few months with her now fiancé, before they had become engaged. She and her brother Connor had decided to leave all that they had when their father took his untimely departure of this world. She thought of how pained she had been to find out that the man who had raised them was not their biological father, and that the man who was, was in fact an evil vampire-pirate rebel who had brought on the biggest war that had ever been seen on the seas. She had then found out that she and her brother were both _dhampirs_; half human, half vampire. They were both immortal and they both had powers the likes of which had not yet been seen on the oceans.

But, as far as anyone knew, Connor had died – killed by their biological father himself – during the last – and winning – battle of the war.

She felt numb, as she remembered what had woken her in the first place, as she let a single tear fall down her cheek, thinking of her brother.

"Grace? What's wrong? Why aren't you in bed?" Lorcan's unexpected voice gave Grace a small start, but she didn't move, in fact she continued brushing her brown hair as she answered his question.

"I couldn't sleep." She said simply. She offered no further explanation as she continued brushing her hair.

"Well what's wrong?" Lorcan asked, genuinely concerned for his fiancé. He slid out of bed and stood behind her, giving her a much-needed neck massage.

"I've just got this, terrible feeling, in the pit of my stomach." At last she put her brush down and allowed herself to fall into the comfort of Lorcan's expert massage skills. She wondered idly if he'd been a massage therapist at any time during his five-hundred or so years.

"What about?" Lorcan asked, kissing the top of her head. He wasn't being pushy, he was simply worried, and a little curious.

"Connor." Grace answered simply.

Lorcan sighed and stopped massaging his fiancé. He turned her chaise around so that they were looking at each other. This wasn't the first time that Grace had spoken about her brother as if he hadn't died almost seven years ago. He rested his hands on her knees and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her beautiful face. Calmly and sympathetically he said, "Grace, honey, you know as well as I do that Connor has been dead for years; since the war with the vampirates." He was trying to comfort his fiancé as best he could, but he worried for her. He feared that Grace may still have not accepted the fate of her twin brother.

Grace shook her head. "No," She said, "No, he didn't die during the war. Connor is very much alive." Lorcan sighed and hung his head, waiting for her to continue. Fortunately he didn't have to wait long.

"He'd had a couple of visions of his death, and it happened the same way every time. When he found out he could split himself in two, he used it to his advantage. Simply put; he saved Jacoby and let his second self die so that his other self could get away and start his journey; to rid himself of the _dhampir_ gene." Grace explained.

"I don't understand," Lorcan said, momentarily confused. He paused to make sense of it all, before he turned back to his fiancé and his confusion gave way to frustration as he said, "You mean to say, that Connor Tempest is alive and well _somewhere_, and you've known the whole time?" Grace was taken aback at how upset Lorcan seemed to be by this news. She nodded slowly, watching her fiancé intently.

Lorcan stood and walked to the other side of the cabin, pushing his shoulder-length dark locks out of his face in frustration. "You mean to tell me, that a very good friend of everyone's – someone we all thought had died, never actually did, and you knew it the whole time?" Lorcan was starting to sound more hurt than angry.

"Lorcan, it wasn't like that. I wanted to tell you – all of you – but I couldn't. We all knew that Connor wanted more than anything to stop being a _dhampir_, and when he was offered the chance he had to take it! He needed seven years of no contact with anyone he knew! I wanted to tell you all, but I couldn't! Connor and I both knew if anyone found out that he was still alive they would search for him! He couldn't risk it!" Grace said, taking her turn to comfort Lorcan.

"Grace, I understand, but I would have at least hoped you would have told me." Lorcan said, turning towards her and pulling him into his strong arms.

"I wanted to Lorcan, believe me I wanted to." She said, nuzzling herself into his warm body.

"Now," Lorcan held her by the shoulders and looked intensely into her emerald eyes, "What was that feeling you said woke you?"

"I don't really know," Grace shook her head and sat on the bed, clutching the locket again, "For the past few nights I've been having dreams about the war, and Sidorio and Lola, and Little Connor turning back to her, and Connor dying, and staying that way." Grace started shaking. Little Connor was their adopted son, whose birth mother was the evil vampirate bride of her own birth father – Sidorio – who had died in the same battle that she'd gotten her son and her brother had faked his own death during.

"Sidorio is dead, Lola is a non-concern, little Connor is one of the best children I've ever seen – and I've seen more than my share – and your brother is fine. Besides, you said seven years, that means he should be coming back soon, right?" Lorcan told her, trying to be calming.

"He left the day of the speeches at Ma's, eight days after our birthday." Grace nodded and leaned into Lorcan's side, as he'd sat down beside her.

"That reminds me," Lorcan said, reaching to his nightstand and opening the drawer. "I was going to wait until the feast tonight, but as long as we're awake," He handed her a smile package that he had pulled from the drawer. The wrapping was done with brown paper, and had a small red bow around it. The package was rectangular and felt as though it had a dip in it. As Grace undid the bow the paper literally fell apart, revealing a beautiful, hand-carved picture frame holding a picture of the three of them – Lorcan, Grace, and little Connor. "Happy birthday." Lorcan smiled as he saw her face light up.

"Oh Lorcan! It's beautiful! When did you do this?" Grace asked, completely awed by the beautiful painting and frame.

"Last feast night, while we were up on deck waiting for the bell to ring, as we kissed I had a painter paint the outlines, he colored it while the donors ate." Lorcan answered, "Do you like it?"

In response, Grace put the beautiful gift back on the nightstand and kissed him passionately. He hesitated only a moment before kissing her back. Taking advantage of the moment, grace turned off the already dull lamp lighting the room and decided that she could worry about her brother's return when they awoke that night.

When the bell awoke the crew at dusk, Grace and Lorcan awoke to the sweet smell of the cooking food for the feast later that night. As Lorcan made the bed Grace went into the next room – their son's room - to pick out his clothes for the feast. When Grace walked in she found the young boy already awake, reading a pirate history book.

"What are you reading tonight?" Grace asked, sitting on his bed and looking over his shoulder.

"Chang Ko Li's last battle." He answered, turning the page of the huge book.

"I meant what's the name of the book itself?" Grace asked again, laughing a little.

"_Final Battles_." Connor answered, turning another page. Grace marvelled at the speed at which the six-year-old could read.

"Is the last battle of the _Immortal War_ in there then?" Grace asked.

"It's an issue from ten years ago." Connor answered, finally putting the book down as he finished the chapter on the death of the pirate legend.

"I see." Grace said, putting his bookmark on the page and putting the bookmark on the nightstand by his pillow.

"Why do you read pirate history books?" Both Grace and Connor turned to see Lorcan standing in the doorway of the boy's room.

"I like them, they're interesting to me. And they tell of so many great battle strategies and techniques. Plus my uncle was a pirate, remember?" The boy answered matter-of-factly. Grace couldn't help but laugh.

"I do remember." Lorcan looked at Grace and she knew that he was thinking about what she'd told him about her brother.

"How long have you been up?" Grace asked the boy.

"An hour or so." Connor shrugged.

"You got up when it was still light out?" Grace asked, with a look that clearly said that he should not have done that.

"It's okay I kept the blackeners on the port-holes and I kept the lamp as dull as possible." He answered.

"That's not the point, Connor! You are twice as susceptible to the light as anyone! You were born from two proper vampires, which means that you have double the power of a regular vampire, but also double the weaknesses!" Grace said. This wasn't entirely true, however, as they had never put any of those weaknesses to the test.

"If I'm twice as powerful wouldn't that mean that I'm _half_ as vulnerable? Like you, mom?" Connor answered his father with a hint of pleading in his voice.

Grace nodded and hugged her son. "I just don't want to put that to the test. I don't want to risk anything happening to you." Grace said, holding him close.

"Nothing's going to happen to me." Connor said, hugging his mom.

"We just don't want to lose you, Connor." Lorcan now came to sit on the bed on Connor's other side.

"You won't." Connor promised, hugging his parents.

The family sat on the bed for a time, hugging each other in a comfortable silence. When they broke apart Grace smiled and went to pick out Connor's outfit for the feast.

Lorcan went back into the main room of the cabin and pulled from Grace's nightstand another package, this one longer and thicker that the one he had given Grace. When he came back to Connor's room Grace came to stand by him.

Lorcan handed Connor the package and Grace said, "Happy birthday Connor."

Connor – unlike Grace – ripped open the package and beamed as he saw his birthday gift. He looked to his parents with one of the happiest looks they had ever seen on his face.

"You got me the new edition!" He said, beaming down at the cover of the newest pirate history book, titled _Immortal War_.

"You can thank Mr. and Mrs. Jetsam as well, they helped pay for it." Lorcan smiled, messing Connor's hair playfully. Grace slapped him and complained that now she would have to do it up again for the feast in a few short hours. After Connor hugged both his parents with all his strength – leaving Lorcan to fight not to show pain at his adopted son's strength – he jumped back onto his bed to start reading his new book, which he'd been asking for since he'd heard it had come out a few months prior.

Lorcan and Grace left Connor to read while they prepared for the feast. Lorcan went up to the deck of the ship to help keep the ship running with the rest of the crew, while Grace went to her friend Darcy Flotsam-Jetsam's to find a dress for herself.

"Grace! Darling! Come in! Come in! I've been waiting for you! Happy birthday Gracie! Oh you look wonderful! Okay so I've found a few dresses you might wear tonight. They're a little fancier than usual but it is your birthday!" Darcy exclaimed when she opened her cabin door for Grace, giving her a hug.

"Thank you Darcy, but I really don't want to make a big deal of my birthday. We should be more -focused on the fact that it's Connor's! After all, he's the one who's still aging! I stopped aging five years ago!" Grace answered, grinning at her overly-flamboyant friend.

"Oh. But Grace! It's still your birthday." Darcy said, taken aback a little by her friend's lack of enthusiasm.

"Let's see the dresses." Grace said, dodging the subject of her birthday.

"Alright!" Darcy said, walking into the bulk that was her cabin.

"Darcy are you going to stay up right until the bell tonight?" Jet Jetsam – Darcy's husband – walked into the room buttoning his shirt and froze upon seeing Grace. "I didn't know you'd have company." Jet looked at Grace and then back at his wife as if they had been interrupted during something very important.

"I thought you'd have gone up on deck by now." Darcy answered, kissing her _Mr. Jetsam_. "And I was going to turn in before the dawn bell tonight why?" She looked at him expectantly.

He shuffled his feet and started whispering something to Darcy that made her giggle.

The giggling couple started making their way into the bedroom area of the cabin while Darcy called to Grace, "The dresses are in the wardrobe! I think the green one goes best with your eyes!"

Grace wondered idly what the two of them were so giggly about, before going over to the wardrobe and finding three stunning dresses hanging inside.

As she tried on the first one – a blue and red satin dress with a built in corset – she thought of how the two of them had been coming up to the deck later and later, and how they stayed up closer and closer to dawn. She tried on the green dress Darcy had mentioned and agreed that it did go beautifully with her eyes, though she felt like she looked like a princess. When she tried on the third dress – a simpler design with long-off-the-shoulder sleeves – she fell in love with the velvety red fabric and decided that, even though it looked more like she was wearing blood, she'd wear it.

As Grace went to leave the cabin with her dress she called back, "Thanks for the dress Darcy! And Connor wanted to thank you for his birthday present!"


	2. 2 - Almost Home

**2 – Almost Home**

"You still haven't told me where you're from or why you're here." The blond Swede asked, panting as she rolled away from the mystery man she knew as Jacob-no-last-name.

"Where I'm from doesn't matter, nor does why I'm here." He said in his deep voice, rubbing his dark, rugged beard. He had never had one before, but he kind of liked it.

"Look, I can hear your Aussie accent; I'm not deaf!" The blonde rolled onto her side and started rubbing her index finger along his bare chest. He pushed her hand away and sat up.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Alone. I'll probably never be back this way and it's more than likely that you'll never see me again." He said, getting up and pulling his pants on.

"So that's it then." The blonde pushed herself up to a sitting position. She sounded hurt and accusing.

"What do you mean?" The man asked, turning around to look at her while pulling on his white undershirt.

"I mean you meet a girl in a bar, hit on her, bring her to your room so you can have fun and then drop her just like that? You said you moved around a lot, but I didn't know you meant you move around _girls_ a lot too." The blonde stood up and started looking for her missing boots and clothes.

"Stop. Wait. It's not like that. I left home to get some stuff together and I only have a few days before I have to get back. And you were the only girl I've met who I've done anything with." The man grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him.

"It's been two weeks. We've taken each other's clothes off for the past ten nights! Talk to me." The blonde said, almost pleading. When he didn't answer she said, "I know Jacob isn't really your name. Tell me what's going on!"

He sighed and stroked her bare arms with his thumbs. "My name is Connor Tempest. And I honestly don't know where to begin, but I'm glad I found someone I can tell my story to."

"Just start at the beginning." The blonde said, rubbing his arms. She felt him relax all of his muscles for the first time since she'd known him.

They sat on the bed and she waited for him to tell her his story.

"The interesting part started when the man I thought was my father died, so my twin sister and I ran away, except we didn't really run. We jumped in my dad's old boat and sailed out into the open ocean. Then there was a huge storm and we were shipwrecked. I had no idea if either of us would make it out alive, but that was over seven years ago. Then I was saved by some pirates and I became one myself. They taught me stuff I'd never even dreamed of. The whole time I thought that Grace had died in the water, but later-" Connor was cut off by the blonde.

"Is Grace your twin sister then?" She asked, holding his arm.

"Yeah. And I found out almost a month later that she was alive and well, aboard a ship of vampirates. But they were the good kind. They called themselves _Nocturnals_, and Grace fell in love with one of them." Connor continued telling the story of the war and all they'd been through since they were shipwrecked all those years ago.

"So that's how you ended up here." The blonde sat on the bed, utterly shell-shocked. Of all the things she thought could have brought him here she had never once imagined anything like this. She thought he must've spent a couple hours telling her the story of his life, all the terrifying things she never could have imagined in all of her wildest dreams. She's seen him laugh and smile at some of the things he told her, and she'd seen him cry and shake at some of the things he'd told her. She could see him on the deck of _The Diablo_, during the first couple of months of his being a pirate, sparing with his best mates, Jez Stukeley and Bartholomew Pierce – Bart for short. Both of them had died, however, and she couldn't imagine how it must have felt for him to lose both of his best friends.

"Yeah, that's how I ended up here." Connor said, wiping his eyes.

"So, are you going to go back?" The blonde asked. Now Connor addressed her by her name.

"Kaiya, you are an amazing girl, but I have to go back. I wish I could just stay here, but there was a reason I left, and now it's time for me to go home." Connor said.

"I understand, Connor. I just have one thing to ask of you." Kaiya looked at him expectantly.

"What is it?" Connor asked, worried of what he might hear.

"Take me with you." Kaiya grabbed Connor's hand as he turned to walk away again.

"I can't." He said, taking his arm away from her and putting his coat on. There was silence as he opened the door, before he closed it he said, "Why would you want to come anyway?"

"Because, I think I've fallen in love with you." Kaiya looked to the floor and then back at Connor. He sighed and for a minute she thought he was going to tell her that he loved her too. Instead he turned around and slammed the door.

"Dammit, Kaiya!" He yelled, almost as loud as he'd slammed the door.

"What?" She asked.

"I love you too! Okay? I've loved you since the first night you took my clothes off!" He said, grabbing her arms above the elbows and pulled her up to stand in front of him. "I love you, okay? I love you, and I can't take you with me because where I'm going, it's dangerous. And if something were to happen to you I," He paused and took a breath, "I wouldn't be able to live with myself." He rubbed her arms.

"I can take care of myself you know." Kaiya said, pushing his coat to the edges of his shoulders and playing with the neckline of his t-shirt.

"Have you ever met a pirate before?" Connor asked, stepping away from her and shrugging his coat back on.

"Well, no, but I've met you!" Kaiya answered. He laughed.

"Yes, you've met me. But you haven't met the pirate me," He grabbed her arms again and she flinched a little. "You haven't met the me who's gone into battle and killed men twenty, thirty, _forty_ years older than himself in cold blood while they begged for mercy. You haven't met the me who's beheaded vampirates on their wedding day! You haven't met the guy who would look you in the eye, smile, and kill you. And yet you're looking at him." He pushed away from her and rubbed his rugged beard again.

"I don't care. I may not have known people like that, but I know some pretty bad people. I may never have met a pirate, or a _vampirate_, but I've met vampires. My dad, he turned into one. He came home one night about a month after he died and killed my mom and both my sisters. Then he turned to me and tried to kill me too. Somehow I managed to knock him into a candelabra that mom had out. While he burned I ran to the back room and grabbed an old sword to decapitate him with." Kaiya answered, taking her turn to grab his arms and turn him around with force.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Connor answered, realizing for the first time that land pirates did have power.

"Don't be. I always hated my dad anyway. But I think that if I can handle that, I can handle a few rude pirates." Kaiya started playing with the edges of his shirt again and flinched when we grabbed her arms again, then he shrugged his coat off his shoulders and started kissing her again, passionately.

She threw off his coat and kicked off her boots, before falling onto the bed and pulling him onto her.

"It's your turn to be on top." She said with a playful smile. He smiled back and went in for another kiss, while pulling his shirt off.

"I won't be for long." He whispered, biting her ear lobe.

"Just take my shirt off." Kaiya said, pushing her hands up under his undershirt and pulling it off.

"The taxi boat will be here in a few minutes." Connor said, laying on his back, rubbing Kaiya's arm.

"We should get dressed." She said, snuggling into him a little more.

"You get dressed, I'm going to go pay the taxi boat. Meet me at the harbor." Connor kissed her and dressed quickly. While he was gone she got dressed slowly, opening her trunk and picking out the dress she thought looked most like what a pirate would wear, based on old photos she'd seen of pirates when she was a child and interested in that kind of thing.

She looked in the cracked mirror on the wall and tried to fix her hair a little bit, so that it would look better than the nest she had currently. She brushed it and then pulled it up in a high ponytail with her bangs out, framing her face. She thought she was ready.

She left the room and walked down to the harbor, deciding to leave her trunk behind and take with her only what she was wearing and two sacks of money, which she attached to the inside of her belt so they hung silently, out of sight, under her skirt.

When she made it to the harbor she found the taxi boat waiting for them, but no Connor. She looked around wondering where he could've got off to and found him on his way with two pints of rum.

"You had me worried there for a minute. I'd thought you'd left me to go on my own." Kaiya said, taking one of the pints from his hand.

"No, I was just grabbing us some drinks for the ride." He smiled, helping her into the taxi boat.

"Where are we going?" Kaiya asked.

"That's something I too would like to know." The taxi driver said pointedly to Connor.

"Pirate Academy." Connor answered simply. The driver smiled toothless smile.

"That's a long ride, it'll cost ya." The driver said, writing a number on a napkin and handing it to Connor.

"I can't afford that!" Connor said, handing the napkin back.

"Then get out of my boat." The driver said, staring daggers at him.

"It's okay. I'll cover it." Kaiya said, unclipping one of the sacks from her belt and pouring out some of its contents. Connor stared in awe at the amount of money she had poured out of the small bag. The driver smiled again and wasted no time in taking off.

"Why pirate academy? I thought you were already a captain." Kaiya asked.

"I've been dead for seven years, I'm going to need to explain myself to the top man in the system."


	3. 3 - Pirate Academy

**3 – Pirate Academy**

"Wait here, I think I'd better do this alone." Connor said, kissing Kaiya once before he left to enter the large academy doors.

He paused before opening them, knowing that despite the fact that he now had the beginnings of a curly brown beard, he looked no different than he had when he'd died seven years ago, and that this fact would attract the attention of anyone who may be wandering the halls of the academy.

Taking in a breath, he pushed open the doors and walked inside, walking with a purpose with one hand on the hilt of the sword he'd had since he first became a pirate, given to him by Cutlass Cate Morgan – more commonly known as Cate – who was, in fact, his old teacher. He was amazed at all the memories that were now flooding back to him.

As he walked into the center of the rotunda of the academy, he looked up at the hundreds and hundreds of swords hanging from the ceiling. The first time he'd looked up at these beautiful pieces of metal he'd had a vision of himself, dying as a captain. He had no vision this time and took it as a good sign.

As he walked through the familiar halls he had a sense of peace and purpose. He was just starting to relax when he walked down a hallway with classrooms, and saw teachers – most of whom he knew – stopping their classes to come into the hall and stare at him. He heard whispers among teachers he knew – Captain Quivers, Captain Salamos – all his old teachers from the few weeks he'd spent studying at the academy.

"Just a doppelganger." He heard Captain Salamos say to Lizabeth Quivers.

"He has the same sword as the boy did!" He heard Captain Quivers answer, but he walked on, faster now, before he could hear any more replies.

As he turned the corner he felt a tug near the bottom of his coat. He turned and looked down. Staring up at him in awe was a child no more than eight years old.

"Can I help you?" Connor asked, not loving the attention.

"The stories said you died, seven years ago a week ago." The little boy said in wonder. Connor knelt down to the boy's level and whispered in his ear.

"Sometimes, death isn't the end." Connor stood back up and looked along the crowd at the faces of legendary captains and awe-struck seven and eight year olds. He turned on his heel and continued walking, faster than ever.

He was somewhat relieved when he walked through a corridor of older students, the sixteen and seventeen year old students who he'd known from his short time at the academy.

He saw Captain Platonov's eyes widen at the sight of him, and thought she might faint. One of the girls in the class – he couldn't remember her name but he recognized her from one of the classes he'd sat in on the first time he was here.

"Yes?" He asked her.

"I remember you. I think I was probably nine years old. You taught me how to tie a proper rigging knot when you sat in on my knot class with Captain Quivers. You died. Everybody saw the sword go through your heart. And those who didn't heard about it from everyone who did. If you're not a ghost, let me touch you. You were the reason I stayed in this school and decided to aim for captain." The girl said, reaching out her hand. Connor didn't move. When her hand make contact with his shoulder she gasped, relieved, and sank to the floor. "Thank you." She said and a few tears fell down her cheeks. Connor nodded and continued on through the school and ultimately to Captain Grammont's office – the headmaster.

When he finally got to the doors of the headmaster's office he had the sudden urge to turn around and leave, forget everything that had happened since he'd entered the academy and go back to being dead. He looked out the window over-looking the harbor and saw Kaiya waiting at the tree-bench for him, reading a picture book to a young boy, probably one of the youngest in the school. He took a deep breath and knocked on Captain Grammont's door.

"Come in." Came the reply.

Connor pushed open the door and stepped inside. He said nothing and waited for the old captain to say something first.

Looking around he noticed that they were not alone in the office, the door to the adjoining bathroom was closed and there was definitely a light on inside. He heard the toilet flush and a tap turn on.

"What do you want?" Captain Grammont asked, before whoever was in the bathroom could come out. The bathroom door opened revealing Commodore Black, almost at the same exact time as Captain Grammont finally looked up.

Both of the men before him stood in shock, as if they were looking at a ghost. Captain Grammont dropped his fountain pen and stood up with mock terror as he asked, "Are you a vampirate then?"

"Nothing so fancy." Connor laughed a little.

"How on oceans are you standing here then?" Commodore Black seemed to regain his composure as he said this.

"It's a long story, perhaps you'd both like to sit down. Maybe we could have some tea, or better some rum." Connor said, trying to lighten the mood. Neither of the men made to sit down or find some beverages.

"I think I'd prefer to stand, thank you." Commodore Black said icily, "Easier to defend myself if you turn out not to be on our side."

"And your sword, if you please." Captain Grammont said.

"Well I don't please. I came back to explain why and how I faked my death, and to discuss my return. And I would prefer to do that with my sword by my side." Connor answered. There was a chill in the air that had not been caused by the open window or the cold weather. Neither Commodore Black nor Captain Grammont trusted this man, they didn't like his story. And Connor was worried that their understandable mistrust would lead them to attack him.

"If you don't lay down your sword, we will have no choice but to question you under lock and key, in the presence of as many captains as can join us." Commodore Black told him, sure that this would be the winning argument.

"Please do summon the other captains. And Lorcan Furey and my sister, and Obsidian Darke. I should like them all to hear my story as well. And it would of course be much easier than having to explain it to everyone separately." Connor said, knowing that Commodore Black would have no choice but to oblige to his request.

"Very well." Commodore Black answered, obviously upset that he had been tricked into offering exactly what Connor wanted.

"I'll be downstairs, should we call the meeting in room number thirteen?" Connor asked.

"Of course." Captain Grammont answered.

"Then I shall be there, waiting." Connor said. He turned on his heel to leave the office.

"You'll understand of course, that we would like to have you _escorted_ to room number thirteen." Commodore Black said.

"Of course." Connor said, leaving the office.

He went straight out to the tree-bench, where he knew he and Kaiya could be seen from the headmaster's office, but he didn't know what would happen. The only captain he thought would fully understand would have been Cheng Li, or even Molucco Wrathe, but they had both died during the war, and Connor couldn't help but fear what might happen. He knew he could count on Grace, Lorcan and Obsidian to take his side, but there were no guarantees with the rest of them.

"Kaiya." He smiled and hugged her as she rushed towards him.

"How did it go?" She asked, pulling him onto the bench beside her.

"It didn't. We have a meeting in a little while. That's why I don't want to sit here. I'm scared, Kaiya. My biggest allies in this world are all dead, and the rest of them didn't really like me all that much. I don't know what's going to happen. But I know one thing. I love you, and I don't know why because we just met, but whatever happens I don't want to lose you. So, Kaiya Nilson of southern Sweden, will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?" Connor pulled a ring out of a coat pocket as he finished his speech. Kaiya gasped at the question. The ring was not what she was used to, coming from a rich background she was used to expensive, exquisitely carved jewels and diamonds, but she didn't care at the moment. All she really cared about for now was that a wonderful man was handing her a beautiful ring, despite its simplicity. It was a simple silver band with one tiny diamond on it, but it was beautiful, and she assumed that pirates wouldn't be wearing anything fancier anyway.

"Yes!" She nodded, tears falling down her face as she grinned. Connor put the ring on the third finger of her left hand, and kissed her. "I love you." She whispered in his ear.

"I love you too." He said, savouring her deliciousness.

"Now what?" She asked.

"Now we go wait in room number thirteen." Connor answered, grabbing her hand.

"Is that a dorm?" Kaiya asked, following him back to the doors of the academy.

"Not exactly. It's a high security vault underneath the academy. They use it to hide in when there's an attack or for important meetings." Connor answered, opening the doors again. He saw his escort already standing on the elevator.

"Captain Platonov." Connor nodded at the captain sent to escort him into the vault.

"Hello." The captain nodded and the elevator began its descent.

"Come on." Connor said, jumping onto the platform and helping Kaiya to join him.

"Who's the woman?" Captain Platonov asked, looking skeptical.

"My fiancé, Kaiya Nilson." Connor answered, trying to read Patel Platonov's face.

"She's very pretty." Captain Platonov said, her face twitching just a little.

"I understand your mistrust right now, Captain. But I am Connor Tempest." Connor took a step towards Captain Platonov as he said this.

"I was there when you died. There was absolutely no way you could've survived that. Unless you were turned. Is that what happened? Did Lola get to you? Some kind of revenge on us for killing Sidorio? Did she send you here today? With another one of her minions? Get as many of us together as you can and massacre us all while we don't have an easy escape? Was that the plan?" Captain Platonov finished just as the platform clicked into its final resting spot underneath to school.

"I'm not a vampirate, in fact I was gone so I could stop being a half of one!" Connor said. Captain Platonov remained unconvinced. "I don't even have fangs!" Connor said, showing as many of his teeth as he could. Captain Platonov blinked and seemed to do a double take.

"What about her?" Captain Platonov asked, nodding towards Kaiya.

"I'm Swedish. I've never met a pirate before Connor and the only vampire I've ever met was my dead dad but here." She obediently showed all her teeth, revealing no fangs.

"We should get to room number thirteen." Captain Platonov walked quickly down the hallway towards room number thirteen.

Connor and Kaiya followed behind her in silence.

When they were at the door to room number thirteen they heard Commodore Black's voice on the platform, "The earliest any of the captains can be here is tomorrow around lunch. And then we'll still have to wait until nightfall if you really want the _Nocturnals_ to be here."

"So can I get a room until then? So that I don't have to sleep on a chair in room thirteen?" Connor asked.

"There are three bunks in room six. I suggest you make use of them." Commodore Black answered. He beckoned Captain Platonov to join him and they made their ascent.

"Don't we at least get supper?" Connor yelled after them. "At least don't bring her into this!" He said, gesturing to Kaiya. "Dammit!" Connor said, turning and punching one of the stone walls, breaking open his knuckles. "Dammit!" He said again, cupping his right hand into his coat.

"What happened?" Kaiya asked, rushing over to him. He showed her his hand.

"I haven't really punched any walls in general, but the last time I did I had super strength and my knuckles didn't break open." Connor answered, obviously frustrated.

"It's okay. Just relax. It'll be fine." Kaiya said, rubbing his arm and kissing his knuckle.

"Kaiya, I used to know these people. I fought alongside them. I mean I wasn't exactly hoping for cookies and milk and tea by the fire and forgetting that seven years have gone by, but I was at least hoping they'd be a little bit pleased to find out that I'm alive!" Connor said, ripping a piece of his sleeve off and wrapping his fist.

"It'll be okay, I promise. Whatever happens-"

"Connor!" Kaiya was cut off by Grace's voice across the tunnel.

"Grace!" Connor ran towards her and went in for a hug before stopping abruptly, asking, "You're here on an astral visit, aren't you?"

"Yes. But I couldn't wait until tomorrow night to see you! It's been seven years! There's so much catching up we have to-" Grace stopped short when she saw Kaiya standing there looking at them. "Who's this?" Grace asked, smiling at her.

"Grace, I'd like you to meet Kaiya Nilson. She's my fiancé." Connor smiled, taking Kaiya's hand and pulling her closer.

"It's so nice to meet you! I'm so happy Connor finally found someone to make him happy! You're very lucky. Connor's amazing." Grace said, "I wish I could shake your hand, or hug you!"

"It's nice to meet you too. Connor's told me so much about you. You two seem close." Kaiya tried to smile, but she faltered a couple of times, and Grace noticed.

"Uh, look I have to go. Connor's um – another Connor, my son actually. Well anyway he's only six, well he's just turned seven – on our birthday, actually - but he's been acting up lately and now he's destroying his room trying to decide what to wear to meet you tomorrow night. Anyway I'll see you tomorrow Connor. I'm glad you're back." Grace smiled and put her hand up to Connor's cheek before fading away.

"You seem markedly happier than you were before your sister showed up." Kaiya said pointedly. Connor entirely missed the faint sound of hurt in her voice.

"Yes. I've missed my sister. She's one of the most important people in my life." Connor spoke with a smile. "Come on. The sooner we get to bed the sooner Grace will get here and here and we can get out of this nightmare." He walked towards room six and dropped onto the closest bunk. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, which he managed after a few minutes.

"I know you've missed her, but isn't she the same thing that you were gone for seven years to try to stop being?" Kaiya whispered, kissing Connor's forehead and laying down next to him. She realized then that it was the first time they'd slept together, without _sleeping_ together.

"Connor," Grace whispered in his ear, trying to wake him up without waking Kaiya up. "Connor!" Grace whispered a little louder. She remembered that this never did work, even when they were children. She stood up and said, in a very childish voice, "Dad said that if you don't get out of bed right now you're not going to go see the game!" Connor jerked upright immediately and turned to look at her.

"You really here this time?" He asked when he saw his sister.

"You must have been really tired yesterday. It'll be dark in a few hours." She said, throwing things out of the small trunk he had under the bed. "Where is it?" She asked, turning the trunk over and letting all its contents fall to the floor. "Connor I told you to keep it safe! _Where_ is my book?"

"Relax. I don't keep it in that thing. I got it off some pawn store owner. I wouldn't keep something that important in a trunk. I keep it on me at all times." He pulled the book out from a hidden pocket in the back of his coat, on the inside.

"I thought that coat looked a little big for you." Grace smiled, taking the book back as if it had been torture for her to be apart from it.

"Missed the book did you?" Connor asked, jokingly.

"Not until our birthday." Grace answered, putting the book in her satchel. At this point Connor got up and gave his sister a much-anticipated hug.

"Happy birthday, by the way." Connor said.

"I stopped aging five years ago Connor." Grace answered, stepping away from Connor and smiling at him. "I never thought you'd ever grow a beard." She said, rubbing his curly, rugged, brown beard.

"Neither did I. But someone decided that the only thing I owned that was worth stealing would be my shaver. Besides, I kind of like it. And so does Kaiya." Connor answered, rubbing it himself.

"You grew a beard because someone stole your shaver? When he could have tried for your sword or boots, or _book_?" Grace asked.

"More or less." Connor answered. Grace shook her head and rolled her eyes. There was silence for a few seconds before they heard the click of the platform. Connor left the room to see who it was.

"Jacoby!" Connor said, smiling, forgetting that even though Jacoby Blunt was now technically a _Nocturnal _he was still part of the crew of the _Tiger_.

"Connor." It was not Jacoby who answered, but Jasmine Peacock. "You know, when they told us they were summoning us for a meeting about you I figured, 'why would they do that, he's dead.' Then of course I was told that you were apparently still alive and I couldn't say no." She didn't smile, she just stood with her arms crossed on her chest, staring at him. He noticed that she was wearing Cheng Li's captain's hat and figured this would be a safer choice of conversation than following what she had said.

"So I see they made you captain after Cheng Li's death." Connor said, nodding towards her hat.

"They would've asked Jacoby, but the fact that he can't go out in the sun ruins his chance of ever being a captain now." Jasmine said icily.

"Grace! It's good to see you again." Jacoby said, smiling when Grace finally came out of room six.

"You too Jacoby." Grace smiled, giving him a hug.

"Hello, Grace." Jasmine said, a hint of a smile playing at her lips.

"Jasmine. How are you making out as captain?" Grace asked, shaking Jasmine's hand. Connor thought it was odd that they were still friends.

"About as well as can be expected, considering my deputy has to stay indoors during the day." Jasmine answered, with more laughter in her voice then malcontent.

"How did you get into the academy in broad daylight?" Grace asked, looking again at Jacoby.

"Black tarps go a long way if you're sprinting towards a dark underground vault." Jacoby laughed, holding up a black piece of material which Grace had previously thought was a coat.

"So you just ran to the academy?" Grace asked.

"Couldn't wait to see you." Jacoby said jokingly, flashing his perfect smile, which Grace thought had only improved since he'd added fangs to the perfect picture.

"I see. And don't you already have a beautiful girl you get to see all the time?" Grace laughed.

"A guy can never have too many beautiful girls in his life." Jacoby smiled again.

"And a girl can never have too many handsome men in her life." Jacoby, Jasmine, Grace and Connor all looked towards the platform again as they heard the voice of Trophie Wrathe, Barbarro Wrathe's beautiful wife.

"Hello Connor." Barbarro nodded at Connor.

"Hello Barbarro. Trophie." Connor nodded at each of them in turn. Things stayed quiet for a while until Connor went back into room six to check on Kaiya. He heard the others start talking once he was gone.

The chatter started out friendly enough, "hello's," and "how are you's," but with pirate's who hadn't seen each other in years all in the same place to discuss the fate of someone they had once considered friend, lover, brother – in more than just Grace's case – things got heated quickly.

"So how many of you knew – about Connor, I mean?" Jasmine whispered. Everybody shrugged, except Grace.

"You knew?" They all seemed thoroughly offended, but it was Jacoby who spoke. "You knew that he was alive and you never told us?" Jacoby sounded more hurt than even Lorcan had.

"I couldn't tell you. He'll explain better than I will, but it wasn't my secret to share, and I couldn't risk letting anyone go looking for him." Grace explained, keeping her voice down.

"You should have told someone." Barbarro barked.

"I told you I couldn't." Grace countered.

"That shouldn't have stopped you." Trophie said, with a wave of her golden hand.

"And if I had and you'd organized a search party and screwed things up for him?" Grace pushed back.

"If you'd explained we wouldn't have!" Jasmine said, raising her voice, sounding more angry than hurt.

"You would have and you know it. No matter how much explaining I'd done. It was better to keep the secret." Grace said.

"It would have made the past seven years a lot easier." Jacoby pressed on.

"How so? You think it wasn't hard for me? Knowing that my brother was out there and I wasn't allowed to see him or tell anyone that he was alive?" Grace demanded, forgetting to keep her voice low.

"At least you knew he was alive, and that he would come back." Jasmine said, with an icy tint in her voice.

"Let's not get too angry, Grace thought she was doing the right thing." Jacoby said, pushing Jasmine's long hair off her face, revealing a scar across her left cheek.

"I'm not angry, Jacoby. I'm furious. There is no excuse to keep from everyone a secret like this." Jasmine answered, turning her hard eyes on Jacoby.

"Jasmine, if I could have told you I would have." Grace said, before taking her leave.

"Where are you going?" Trophie demanded after her.

"To check on my son." Grace answered.

"She has a son?" Jacoby asked. Everyone in the room looked just as shocked as he was. Connor, on the other hand – who had been listening in on the whole conversation – was pleased that he knew all about Grace's son.


	4. 4 - Trial

**4 – Trial**

"Dad." Moonshine Wrathe smiled as he descended the platform, joined by his deputy, Cutlass Cate.

"Moonshine!" Barbarro answered, smiling at his now-adult son.

"_Min elskling!_ It's been to long!" Trophie gave Moonshine a hug, which he did not return.

"Has it? Time flies you know, when all you see is an eternity of open ocean." Moonshine answered.

"How's the life of captain been treatin' ya?" Barbarro asked, slapping his son on the back.

"Painful, from time to time. But plentiful." Moonshine's eyes sparkled as he began telling his father stories of raids and loots that he had organized and seen through. When Barbarro asked how much loot he'd collected Moonshine answered jokingly, "More than your brother!"

"Which one?" Barbarro laughed.

"Pick one!" Moonshine answered, laughing with his father. Cate rolled her eyes as she went to stand with Jasmine and Jacoby.

"Some things never change, eh?" She asked, laughing a little.

"You know you only had to be his deputy for a year, right?" Jasmine asked.

"I know. But he asked if I would stay on, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't enjoyed that year. So I agreed." Cate answered.

"Why? You could've come back to _the Tiger_." Jasmine pushed.

"_The Diablo_ was always my home, Jasmine. I think you knew that." Cate told her.

"That was when Molucco Wrathe was captain. Moonshine's completely different. No way it's the same ship." Jasmine countered.

"You're right, Molucco isn't there anymore, but Moonshine is his nephew, and you'd be surprised at how similar the two of them are." Cate answered, watching Moonshine demonstrate the story of when they had nearly sunk the ship during a mostly un-organized raid.

"You've grown fond of Moonshine Wrathe haven't you?" Jasmine asked.

"When you spend seven years as someone's deputy you learn to love them." Cate laughed. As Moonshine finished his story they heard the click of the platform and turned to see the _Nocturnals_, accompanied by Commodore Black and Captains Platonov, Salamos, Grammont and Quivers.

"Are we ready to start then?" Cate asked eagerly.

"We are." Commodore Black nodded once and strode towards room thirteen.

"Go on ahead, I'll fetch Connor." Grace told Lorcan, kissing him on the cheek and making her way to room six, with her son right behind her.

"Grace!" Connor started, jumping up when he saw her.

"Connor, I'd like you to meet my son, Connor." Grace smiled, hugging her brother and referencing her son.

"You named him after me?" Connor asked, touched.

"It was Lorcan's idea, he thought you were dead and wanted to make sure you were remembered by everyone." Grace nodded, rubbing her son's head.

"Are they ready then?" Connor asked nervously.

"Yes." Grace nodded.

"Okay." Connor nodded and grabbed Kaiya's hand. Grace wondered what they'd been talking about, sitting next to each other on the bed.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Grace's son tugged at the bottom of her shirt and nearly ripped the fabric.

"Yes Connor?" Grace asked, picking him up.

"Is that my uncle?" The boy asked.

"Yes. He is your uncle." Grace answered, smiling and nodding at her brother.

"He doesn't look like he did in the pictures." Connor told his mother, frowning.

"That's because the picture I showed you was from seven years ago. See, your uncle ages so it's natural for him to look different than he did." Grace explained.

"I thought you said he was like you?" The boy asked.

"He was, but the reason he was gone for so long was so he could stop being like me." Grace answered. Her son promptly pushed himself out of her arms and jumped to the ground. He walked over to his uncle and punched him.

"Ow!" Connor cried, hugging his stomach. "Strong kid you got there, Gracie. What was that for?" Connor asked.

"It's an honour to be like my mom. And if you would so easily throw it away then why did you even come back?" The boy demanded, crossing his arms on his chest.

"It's a long story, one that I'll have to tell you some other time." Connor said, grabbing Kaiya's hand and walking out of room six.

"Connor, I told you not to punch." Grace scolded.

"He deserved it." Connor pouted.

"Do you want me to send you back to the ship?" Grace threatened.

"No." Connor answered.

"Then be good. No punching unless you're sparing or actually in battle." Grace warned. "Come on." She walked out of room six holding Connor's hand and made her way to room thirteen.

"Now that everyone is here," Commodore Black started, tossing an accusing glare at Grace for being the last one to arrive, "We can begin the meeting." Everyone was silent as they waited for Commodore Black to continue. Connor felt like a fugitive on trial as he looked around the table at the accusatory stares from all his former comrades.

"Earlier today, a dead man – Connor Tempest – came into Captain Grammont's office and elected to inform us that he was not in fact dead, nor a vampirate. He has requested that I gather all of you here to hear his story. I will add to that agenda and announce that, upon hearing his story, we will vote and discuss what will happen from here on in. Connor, the stage is all yours, so to speak." Commodore Black gestured towards Connor, who gulped back the lump in his throat. He hadn't realized that he really was on trial.

"Where would you like me to begin?" Connor asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"How about you start where you died." Jasmine said. It was clear that she was demanding, not asking.

"Seems as good a place as any," Connor answered. "So, I was born a _dhampir_, like Grace, half vampire, half mortal. I found out that I could split myself in two, so I used it. I won't go into details but basically, I saw that Jacoby, Cheng Li and Obsidian Darke had already reached Sidorio and that there was no way that I could get there in time to kill him myself."

"So you decided to throw yourself into his sword?" Jacoby cut Connor off with a bewildered tone.

"No. I had foreseen my death, as a captain, twice before. So I decided that this was it. I split myself in two and sent one of me to die, while the other me could escape the ship." Connor began anew, but was quickly cut off again.

"So you decided to die a coward?" Jasmine said accusingly.

"No. There was something I had to do. Any of you who knew what I was back then knew how unhappy I was as a _dhampir_. I hated it. So when I found out that there was a way to expel the _dhampir_ gene from my body, that's what I did." Connor continued, but as he paused Obsidian Darke took the moment to throw in his piece.

"By leaving your friends, your family, and all the people who cared about you?" Obsidian asked.

"No. I was told that I needed to spend seven years encountering no one that I knew." Connor answered.

"By whom?" Captain Quivers asked quickly. Connor looked at Grace, not wanting to betray her precious, secret book.

"By me." Grace said, taking a deep breath. Everybody in the room turned to look at her.

"So you knew. You've known the entire time." Cate stated. Grace nodded, but Commodore Black was quick to dismiss Cate's statement.

"A more important question would be _why_ would you tell him that, and _how_ did you know that was what he had to do?" Commodore Black turned his accusing stare on Grace, who didn't even flinch.

"A magic fortune-telling book." She answered evenly. Commodore Black searched her face, trying to determine whether she was making it up or not.

"That still doesn't explain the _why_." Commodore Black pressed on.

"He's my brother. I could see how unhappy he was. I wanted to give him an out." Grace answered, revealing nothing. Commodore Black's cold stare burned into her emerald eyes, and still she neither flinched, nor blinked.

"Who's the girl?" Jacoby asked Connor, breaking the tension that had built up during Grace and Commodore Black's stare-off.

"This is Kaiya," Connor answered, smiling as he took her hand, "My fiancé." Everyone fell silent. Jasmine's eyes widened to the size of tennis balls, Jacoby looked like a bomb had just gone off in his face, Captains Quivers and Salamos looked as if they hadn't even registered what Connor had said, Obsidian Darke put the tips of his fingers together and closed his eyes, Lorcan looked at his own fiancé with a look of horror on his face, Captain Platonov looked like she was about to faint, Captain Grammont chocked on his cup of tea, Connor's nephew's jaw dropped, Moonshine looked ready to kill Connor, Barbarro nodded approvingly, Trophie's face kept twitching, Cate looked ready to cry, Grace looked at Kaiya, Commodore Black turned a blank stare on Connor, while Connor and his fiancé smiled at each other.

Jasmine was the first to speak. "Congratulations." She said, sounding as if she couldn't understand Connor's decision. Connor and Kaiya looked around at everyone.

"Let's get back on track shall we?" Captain Grammont suggested, wiping spilled tea from his over-coat.

"Agreed. Now that we've heard his story. We have to decide what to do about him. Connor, I'm sure you understand that we cannot simply allow you to continue where you left off seven years ago, as captain, I mean. It will take time for you to reach that level again," Commodore Black turned to Connor as he said this. "Or even as deputy-captain on any ship."

"I don't need to. I already have my own ship." Connor informed them. Kaiya looked at him with curiosity.

"You do?" Grace asked. Connor nodded.

"When I was out west," Connor looked at the _Nocturnals_, knowing that they would know that he meant he had left their sector of the ocean, "I was crewed to a ship, _the Virtus_ – it means power – and after a year I was made deputy when the original deputy died. Ten months later the captain was killed during a raid and I took over. When I went to Sweden a few weeks ago I told my deputy to meet me here in three weeks exactly. They should be here within three days." Connor finished explaining. He saw Jasmine's lip curl up into a slight smile.

"What was the name of the captain you took over for?" Commodore Black asked.

"Captain James Morgan." Connor answered.

"Captain Morgan, eh?" Commodore Black repeated, writing the name down on a pad.

"You never mentioned you would find your captaincy elsewhere." Grace said.

"Wasn't planning on it." Connor shrugged.

"How much inheritance did he give you?" Trophie asked.

"Trophie!" Barbarro looked at her incredulously.

"It's a fair question." Trophie said, and Commodore Black seemed to agree.

"Not as much as Molucco did, don't worry. He figured that giving me his ship would be more than enough. I only got one million from Captain Morgan." Connor answered, leaning back in his chair and put his arm around Kaiya.

"A ship and a million, plus what's left of your inheritance from Molucco. You must be happy." Trophie said accusingly.

"So I am still getting my inheritance from Captain Wrathe?" Connor asked to clarify.

"It was in his will, and if you're alive we are obligated to give it to you." Commodore Black nodded.

"Good to know." Connor answered.

"If I may," Obsidian Darke spoke, opening his eyes at last, "I think we should simply allow Connor to return, with his new ship and its crew. It seems clear that he did what he did because he had to, and not to hurt us. It seems that the easiest option would be to allow him to return." Lorcan nodded beside him.

"Agreed." Barbarro said. Moonshine and Cate nodded their own agreement. Connor and Kaiya smiled at the much appreciated suggestion.

"It _isn't_ that simple though." Commodore Black said, showing off his authority.

"Why not?" Grace's son asked from her lap.

"Connor not now." Grace whispered in his ear.

"Because," Commodore Black addressed the small _Nocturnal_, "If we just let Connor come back as if nothing ever happened what's to stop other pirates from thinking they can just disappear for a while whenever they please?"

"Common sense, morals, lack of reason, fear, love of what they do. Need I go on?" The boy answered. Commodore Black sat back in his chair and chuckled slightly.

"You've got an attitude to ya, I'll give you that much. But that's beside the point. We can't just let Connor come back as if nothing happened. That's the point of this." Commodore Black told the child.

"But something did happen. He _died_, remember? He had to. No way around it. Otherwise his death would've happened later and it would have been permanent. It's better off this way, don't you think? Aren't you the one who said that he was an amazing young pirate who showed great potential? That it would be a shame to lose him?" The boy turned his big black eyes on Commodore Black with feigned confusion.

"I'm with the young one." Trophie said, shocking everybody. It was no secret that she was none too fond of Connor Tempest.

"I am in agreement as well." Captain Salamos nodded.

"Me too." Captains Grammont, Quivers and Platonov chorused.

"If I may," Kaiya said, leaning forward, "I'm new to the pirate community, but it seems like a tight-knit group, and if you all loved Connor as much as you seem to have loved him, why shouldn't you just let him come back?"

"She's right, you know." Jacoby nodded at her.

"Apparently so." Jasmine said, nodding in agreement with her deputy and boyfriend.

"Do you all agree then?" Commodore Black asked.

"We do." Lorcan said, everyone nodding their agreement.

"All of you?" Commodore Black pushed.

"Yes." Moonshine answered, slightly aggravated, speaking for the first time since Commodore Black had come down the platform.

"We all loved Connor, and I don't think that's changed because he was _dead_ for seven years. And if we want to prove that to him again we should just let him back into our lives, and hearts." Cate spoke quietly, as if it hurt her just to think of Connor's death.

"Fine. You're ship will be given a sea lane and your crew's files will have to be brought to us." Commodore Black said reluctantly.

"Where should I sleep until my ship gets here?" Connor asked.

"You can sleep in the room you occupied during you first stay at the academy." Captain Grammont answered.

"Thank you." Connor nodded.

"You're welcome." Captain Grammont smiled. The tension in the room eased and everybody started smiling and a few of those in room thirteen started to laugh, save those who had come from the _Nocturne_ – Grace, Lorcan, their son, and Obsidian Darke.

As everyone started leaving the room – to return to their own ships or else to go teach their night classes – Connor caught grace by the arm.

"Here, Lorcan. Don't wake him." She handed her son – who had been sleeping in her arms – to Lorcan to take to the ship.

"Don't be too long. The sun will be up shortly and we leave at dawn." He warned.

"Wait up for me. I want to talk about the wedding." She smirked.

"Finally." He smiled, leaning in to kiss her. They were passionate for a second before Grace pushed away.

"Don't wake Connor! It'll take him forever to fall asleep again if you do." She laughed and kissed her fiancé on the cheek before pushing him towards the platform, to catch it before the others made it up. Grace stayed behind to talk to her brother.

"So you don't drink berry tea anymore." Connor said, obviously not a question, but Grace answered it as if it were.

"No. I wouldn't be allowed anyway. After you left I told Mosh Zu about my escape from _Sanctuary_, and he didn't like it. He told me not to come back unless it was a life or death emergency, or if I lost my way. Then he told me not to ask for anymore tea, nor a donor." Grace shrugged.

"Grace even when I left your body had started rejecting mortal food." Connor said worriedly.

"I know. I had enough tea stored for another year, and I made it to last six months longer. But then I had nothing. I wasn't going to share any of the donors on the _Nocturne_, so I faked it. I didn't tell Lorcan what happened with Mosh Zu. I didn't tell anyone until one day I was giving Connor a bath and I dropped. Lorcan came in when he heard Connor start screaming and the next thing I knew I was back at _Sanctuary_, with Mosh Zu standing over me." Grace told him.

"So he healed you." Connor filled in.

"He healed me. And he agreed that, though he wouldn't allow me any berry tea, as he had already banned anyone but those in the midst of their healing to drink it, he would assign to me a donor, provided I spend two months a year in my old position as a doctor at _Sanctuary_." Grace added.

"So you agreed." Connor continued for her.

"Not at first. I told him I'd get on fine by myself and left _Sanctuary_ with Lorcan. I dropped sooner this time, about a month in. When I woke up at _Sanctuary_ again I realized that I really didn't have a choice. Mosh Zu raised the time to three months a year. But I agreed. It took a lot of convincing, but I agreed." Grace finished.

"So are you as good as you always were?" Connor asked, teasingly.

"Better. I'm better even than Mosh Zu. He's asked a few times for me to take his place three months a year, to learn more and allow him to rest for a while." Grace answered, laughing a little.

"And you haven't agreed?" Connor asked.

"Mosh Zu doesn't take blood Connor. Or berry tea. He doesn't eat or drink anything. He's like the captain. As powerful as I may be, I will never be able to do that. And I don't want to be in the position of someone like that. I'd feel like I was letting them down." Grace explained.

"Have you spoken to Mosh Zu about this?" Connor pressed.

"We may be close again, but I feel that telling him would be a mistake." Grace answered. They were silent for a time, and the next time either of them spoke, they both spoke at once.

"Please, you go first." Grace smiled at her brother.

"I want you to come to my wedding, with Lorcan, and your son." Connor told her.

"Unless it's a night-time wedding we can't." Grace frowned.

"I know, but I was hoping that an indoor wedding might do the trick." Connor said, a note of pleading in his voice.

"It could work, I guess. If we come in before dawn." Grace said.

"Great!" Connor smiled at his sister. "Now, what did you want to say?"

"Just that I want you to be at my wedding as well." Grace smiled.

"You aren't married yet?" Connor asked incredulously.

"I wanted you to be there, so I've been putting it off. I mean, the fact that I spent two weeks unconscious and three months a year away helps to postpone it, but I wanted you to be there." Grace explained.

"Of course I'll be there." Connor smiled and nodded.

"I have to go. The dawn bell will ring in a few minutes." Grace said, taking his hand before walking to the platform.

"Grace," Connor called after her. She turned around and looked at him. "Why are you wearing a male pirate's outfit?" He asked.

Grace smiled and answered, "A dress isn't helpful when you're climbing rigging for four hours, sparing for another hour, and taking care of a seven-year-old for the rest of the night, every night." She left Connor struggling to make sense of what she'd said as she turned and jumped onto the platform as it began its ascent anew.

"Time for me now?" Kaiya asked, sneaking up behind Connor and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"We can go upstairs if you want," He turned around and whispered in her ear seductively, "Where there's a _real_ bed. A _huge_ bed. We can lay down and sleep in it. Or talk. Or undress each other. Whichever." He started rubbing his mouth along her neck and made his way up to start biting her ear.

"I think we should do that." She said. They stepped onto the platform and managed to keep themselves in check until they made it up to the bedroom.


	5. 5 - Daytime on the Nocturne

_**A.N.:**_

**So this chapter is sort of a throwaway chapter just to kind of explain some things that will be more important later on in the story.**

**Also I'm so sorry that I took so long to upload but hopefully you'll be seeing a couple more chapters over the next day or two to make up for it. Honestly I've just been so busy so suddenly that I kind of forgot I was in the middle of writing.**

**All that said, if you don't like this chapter so much please don't decide to give up on the story because there is a reason that this chapter is kind of boring, if that's even the right word.**

**Enjoy! :)**

**P.S.**

**Something happened the first time I uploaded chapter three and it was the un-finished version of chapter three of another story of mine, so I've corrected that mistake and I suggest you go check it out! :)**

* * *

**5 – Daytime on the **_**Nocturne**_

"Are you coming to bed?" Lorcan asked, fighting a yawn.

"Yes, I've just got to finish up out here first." Grace answered, picking up a length of rope to finish up after sunrise.

"Don't be too late." Lorcan told her, kissing her cheek and heading inside. Grace smiled and watched him go before she finished up. She was tired, it had been a long night after the meeting at Pirate Academy.

As she had finished and was walking towards the cabin she shared with Lorcan, she heard the captain's voice from down the hall.

"Grace, could I speak to you please?" He asked politely, but leaving no room for her to make a mistake, this request was in fact an order.

"Of course, captain." Grace answered, walking towards him. He held open the door to his cabin for her as she entered. She saw the familiar sight of the table full of maps and globes and lamps.

"Tea?" He asked, holding a cup up to her. She saw that it was empty, and the kettle was on the floor next to the table.

"No thanks, captain." She answered, shaking her head politely.

"As you wish." He said, taking a seat by the fire and gesturing for her to do the same. He remained silent as he poured himself a cup of tea and set it on the table to cool.

"Captain, not that I mind your company, but Lorcan's waiting for me in our cabin, and I don't want to keep him waiting if I can help it." Grace said awkwardly.

"Of course." The captain nodded.

"So, what did you want to see me about?" Grace asked.

"You knew about Connor's being alive." The captain stated. Grace sighed.

"I did." She answered, waiting for the captain to speak again.

"Why did you not say anything? The two of you fooled even Mosh Zu and myself. Why would you keep such a thing to yourself?" The captain continued.

"I had to. It wasn't my secret to share. If there's one thing Connor and I had learned from our lives in Crescent Moon Bay it was how to keep each other's secrets." Grace sighed, accepting the captain's offering of tea. Even though she had declined his original offer, he'd known she would want a cup anyway.

"And that's all very well, but this was not a simple secret like those you kept as children. This was literally a life or death secret." The captain said sternly.

"You say this as if secrets is a new concept to you; as if you hadn't kept many life or death secrets from Connor and I in the first place. I'd have thought you'd have been proud, Captain, that we were able to keep a secret so large from you, after all those years." Grace said, she hadn't meant her words to be harsh, but she knew the moment they were out that she should not have said them, and regretted them instantly, especially as the captain made his reply.

"It's true, I did keep secrets from you and Connor, but I had good reason, and thus far I have not seen an appropriate reason why you would keep the secret of Connor's life." The captain answered.

"Would you have wanted to look for him?" Grace asked.

"Of course." The captain answered simply.

"There is your reason. If he had even said 'hello' to you, or anyone that he knew, including me, he would not have completed the expulsion of his _dhampir_ gene, and you know as well as I did that he wanted nothing more than to stop being a _dhampir_." Grace said, letting a bit of a temper slip into her voice.

"And if you'd explained this you know I would have resented and I would not have gone looking for Connor. Besides you heard him tonight, he was out of my quadrant, I would not have been permitted." The captain answered calmingly.

"That's beside the point. If I'd told you, you'd have told the Pirate Federation and even if you could have convinced all the other ships not to go looking for him, there is still one ship who would have. No matter what." Grace told him, taking a sip of her tea.

"_The Tiger_." The captain nodded.

"We'd have had to restrain Jasmine to stop her looking for him, and then we'd have had Jacoby to deal with, and he'd have been a whole separate issue." Grace continued.

"True." The captain nodded again, allowing Grace time to explain everything.

"And Connor, if he'd found out that I'd told anyone he may not have wanted to come back. He'd had it planned out since it first happened. His being made captain, and finding a fiancé changed his plans slightly, but he did more or less exactly what he'd told me he would. If I'd told anyone he'd not have had the leverage he needed to bridge the gap that had grown between him and the rest. He'd not have been able to make the demands he did so easily with so much support. He'd have been met with more hatred than we had towards Sidorio. He could not have handled it. He'd have disappeared again, for good this time. And even I wouldn't have been able to find him. The longer he was away the less I could sense him, and I believe that the only reason I kept as much a hold on him as I still have is because we're flesh and blood, but I couldn't risk losing him for good. You've no idea the hours of sleep I lost debating whether or not I should tell anyone. You've no idea the pain it caused me not to. But it was either everyone else, or my family. And I'd already lost my parents; I was not going to give up Connor." Grace finished slightly out of breath, but she felt as though a huge weight had just been lifted off her chest. The room was silent for a time and she took the opportunity to contemplate how good it felt to finally tell someone everything she had been keeping for the last seven years.

Finally, after quite a few minutes had passed, the captain said, "I hadn't realized the risks involved." And finished his tea.

"What took you so long?" Lorcan asked drowsily when Grace finally returned to their cabin almost an hour later.

"The captain wanted to speak to me." Grace answered. She saw that Connor was asleep on her's and Lorcan's bed with a book by his side.

"What about?" Lorcan asked, pushing his long hair out of his face.

"My knowing about Connor's being alive." Grace answered.

"I see." Lorcan said, trying to shake himself out of the drowsiness.

"Bu it doesn't matter. We spoke about it and he doesn't mind. He understands." Grace said, closing Connor's book and picking him up gingerly.

"Grace." Lorcan said as she returned from her son's room.

"Yes?" Grace asked, starting to clean the cabin. She hated to see it messy.

"I wanted to marry you seven years ago." He said, coming behind her and stopping her hands and turning her to face him.

"I wanted to marry you long before that." Grace answered. Lorcan could see now how tired she was, but he was determined to speak this through.

"I want to marry you soon. As soon as we possibly can be wed." Lorcan told her.

"I leave in two days' time for _Sanctuary_," Grace told him.

"Then we shall be wed in one day's time." Lorcan answered.

"We have Connor to worry about; both of them. And I don't want to get married and have to leave the next day; I want a proper honeymoon." Grace said.

"Then when? When would you agree to a wedding? In another three months' time?" Lorcan asked, walking away from her.

"We've waited seven years, we can wait a few more months." Grace answered.

"Why? I love you. I've loved you for twenty-one years now. Why won't you let me marry you?" Lorcan pleaded.

"See that's the creepy part. I still don't know all that much about your past, and you knew my mother before even my father was in the picture." Grace countered, opening a drawer.

"I've told you everything you've asked." Lorcan answered.

"How did you die and who turned you?" Grace asked, pulling a fake bottom out of the drawer and hiding the book – _the Way of the Dhampir_ – inside. Lorcan sighed heavily.

"Not that." Lorcan answered.

"I love you Lorcan, but that's a huge part of your past. And you won't let me in. Until you do it's going to be very hard to marry you." Grace replaced the fake bottom over the book and continued cleaning. This had been an argument they'd had many times before, and it was one of the only reasons that Grace had been able to put the wedding off for so long.

"That part is not a part of my past I ever want to speak of. Those were bad times, Grace, very bad times." Lorcan told her. He averted his eyes and hid his face from hers.

"I thought you could tell me anything." Grace whispered. She should have felt hurt, but she was so used to this answer that it did not phase her now.

"I can, Grace! You know I can!" Lorcan turned back towards her with a shocked expression.

"Then why not this?" She asked.

"I don't want to tell you simply so you can have another story in your diary. I don't want something so wrong to be written down." Lorcan answered.

"Then I will not write it down! I love you Lorcan! Do you really understand that? I love you with every part of me, but I don't want to marry you if you won't share with me one of the most important pieces of yourself. If you want me not to keep a record of it I won't, but please Lorcan! Tell me what happened! Tell me why you are even less willing to tell me now than you were when we met." Grace whispered. This was the first time she had voiced her feelings that he was more hesitant to tell her about his past than he had been, and she had been wondering for years.

"It matters not how I died; it was a cold winter in Ireland, and we had not the means to get through it. But how I turned—" He faded off and his eyes went stony, as if he had just been hit over the head with a hard object. "It was a woman. The funeral had not even finished yet. She did not care for my mother or my sister – only me. I had been a sailor for years, so the funeral was at sea. She ripped the top off my coffin and turned me, and then threw me and my coffin back into the ocean. I doubt she expected me to survive the change. I know only that it was a woman because of the lock of hair I found myself holding when I awoke at the bottom of the ocean. The sea currents had brought me to the Southern quadrant, and I awoke with a terrible blood lust. I swam for three days and three nights before I found land. I knew not where I was, only that I needed sustenance. The first town I stumbled into I massacred. That was the first and last time I killed for bloodlust. The last person I attacked was a child – no more than twelve years of age. She was a beautiful child. I walked towards her, having just murdered her parents, guardian, and younger brother. She had bright green eyes and dark brown hair – much like yours, Grace – and she was crying. Her skin was pale and her lips were red. Her cheeks were stained with tears that continued to flow like a waterfall from her eyes, yet she made no sound.

"She was sitting curled in a ball in one corner of the large room, and her eyes were shining in the moonlight. I wanted to kill her. I could hear the beating of her heart, feel it. I could smell how delicious she would taste through the cut on her hand. I could almost taste it. It was enough to make my mouth water. No one would be able to stop me, for no one was left alive in the town. I grabbed her shoulders and lifted her to her feet and she stopped crying. She wiped her eyes and held her chin high. She did not speak English – she spoke Tuvaluan. She looked me in the eyes and said, in her language, '_even if you kill me, I will die happy_.' And I hesitated." Lorcan paused.

"What happened next?" Grace asked. She had sat him on the bed and was sitting next to him. She could see how much of a struggle it was for him to tell his story.

"I lifted her bleeding hand and licked the blood. I continued until it bled no more. And then I left. I turned and walked away. I left the house, and heard her sigh with relief. When I had closed the front door, I set it on fire. I waited outside the house and heard her screams. That was the deciding moment of my entire existence. I knew that I could either continue massacring villages like that one, or I could change. Needless to say I chose the latter. It took many weeks. I had taken so much blood in one night that I did not want to stop when Mosh Zu found me. I fought back. I'd make it without a taste for a week, and then go after one of the donors. I was delirious for most of the process. Eventually the captain came to visit me. He told me that the donors were afraid of me and that Mosh Zu did not want me at _Sanctuary_ if I could not control myself. So that captain told me to come with him. He was the one who helped me change. He did not even invite me to a feast until he saw the fire of hunger leave my eyes and I did not fight to feed." He paused again, and Grace could sense that his tense muscles were loosening slightly as his story progressed.

"And how long did that take?" Grace asked softly.

"Three months. I was starving, but I refused to feed. The captain brought me back to _Sanctuary_ and Mosh Zu helped me through the rest." Lorcan finished and took a deep breath. He'd never told his story to anyone before, he hadn't even talked about it with the captain or Mosh Zu, who had both been there.

"The girl," Grace hesitated and continued, "You said she looked like me?" Grace took a breath.

"Yes. And the woman who turned me, I never noticed before, I never knew who it was, her hair, the lock, it resembles Lady Lola's a lot. I never noticed, but I kept the lock of hair for years, and I only discarded it in the hall of discards when I took you to Mosh Zu for the first time when you dropped bathing Connor." Lorcan told her, putting his hand on her upper thigh. Grace stood up and stopped breathing for a minute.

"You- You kept the lock of hair?" Grace couldn't remember how to breathe. She was so shell-shocked she could hardly think. "And you- She looked like me- and you burned her house down?" Grace walked across the cabin and held onto the vanity. She turned her head toward the porthole and saw that it was well past noon. She knew that she would have to leave at nightfall for _Sanctuary_.

"Grace, you're the one who wanted to know." Lorcan said, coming up behind her and trying to soothe her. She took a deep breath and tried to collect her thoughts.

"How sure are you that it was Lola's hair?" Grace asked.

"Fairly certain," Lorcan said, and upon seeing Grace's face added, "But it doesn't mean anything! Nothing changes!"

"Everything changes. You're raising the son of the woman who turned you into a vampire, who married the biological father of your fiancé." Grace paused and turned to face her fiancé. "Lola will want her child back, it's only a matter of time. And she thought that Connor was dead, but once she finds out he isn't – and she _will_ find out – she will want her son back and she will come to find him. And when she sees you, she will remember. That isn't something someone forgets easily. It's like giving birth, or watching your father die, or your brother, or the first time you take a life. You never forget that and you never forget the face of the person. Never."

"Grace-" Lorcan tried to think of something to say, but coming up short.

"We should get some sleep. There's a busy night tonight and I leave at nightfall." Grace told him, changing finally from her crew clothes to her night dress.

"I thought you had two days." Lorcan said, more than a little confused.

"It will take a day to get there and I want to spend some time with Connor before I do. And I want Connor to spend some time with his nephew." Grace answered.

"So, you're planning to take Connor with you?" Lorcan asked.

"I don't know, but Connor's timing was impeccable, and I wanted them to spend some time together." Grace answered. She went to the adjoining bathroom to brush her teeth.

"Would you be taking Connor on to _Sanctuary_ with you? Or would you be leaving him with your brother?" Lorcan asked.

Grace took a minute to finish brushing her teeth before answering, "I don't know, I trust my brother, but I don't know how much he's changed in seven years, and I don't know what his crew or fiancé are like. And I don't really want to take Connor to _Sanctuary_ with me, because I'll be leaving him alone a lot, and I really don't want to have to do that."

"Grace, what's really wrong?" Lorcan asked, grabbing her elbows as she walked by him again.

"I don't like it one bit. The fact that Lola may have been the one who turned you into a vampire. I don't like it; and the fact that she has no doubt been biding her time for seven years, trying to find out exactly what happened to her son, scares me more so. What if she finds out that we have him and she comes for him, and decides she wants to take you back too?" Grace answered. She paused and took a deep breath, trying to think clearly. "She will recognize you, and she will know immediately that our son is, in reality, hers. Then she will try to take one or both of you, out of spite for me, because I did not want the life she offered me." Grace finished. Something dawned on Lorcan and he let go of her and took a small step back.

"Grace, how is it that you would know that one would remember something like that? You've never turned anyone, or killed anyone, or anything of the sort. How would you know how unforgettable it was?" Lorcan asked, slightly put-off.

"I watched my father die, Lorcan. I watched friends – both mine and my brother's – die in battle for something that was far beyond them at the time. I have healed hundreds of the most horrifying injuries imaginable. And yes, I have killed. Maybe not in battle – for there was always someone to do that in my stead – but I have killed. I remember every single detail of it. As did Connor the first time he killed. And I remember Lola's face when I held her child – _my_ child – for the first time as she realized he had been stolen. These are not things easily forgotten. These are the things that can and will _never_ be forgotten." Grace answered. She got into bed and turned off the light.

As Lorcan climbed into bed after her he contemplated this. When had his fiancé taken a life? Why had she not told him about it before now? What had happened to force her to kill? Had she killed a human, or sent a vampire to oblivion? The questions would not stop and he found himself confused, tired and worried.

As he was about to fall asleep he realized that there was one issue that they had not settled, that absolutely could not wait.

"Grace," Lorcan said quietly.

"Yes?" She answered, sounding drowsy.

"Will you be taking Connor after all?" Lorcan asked. There was silence for a minute and he suspected that Grace was un-willing to answer, so he added, "I think you should. He's never been off the ship apart from last night, and it could be good for him to spend time with his uncle, and learn what it is you do three months a year."

"Then yes. I think I will." Grace answered. Lorcan closed his eyes again and then felt his fiancé's hand across his chest.

He realized that this would be the first time in seven years that he would not have his son at all times by his side.


End file.
